9/11 MEMORIAL VANDALIZED

Drawing of firefighter killed in tower collapse among items destroyed

The 9/11 Memorial at Chico Fire Department Station 5 was vandalized Saturday night, including a drawing of a firefighter who died when one of the World Trade Center buildings collapsed.

According to Chico Fire Department Capt. Corey Broin, a memorial made by the sister of New York Firefighter Paul Mitchell was found damaged by a family that was visiting the memorial.

The memorial was broken and burned by vandals, the latest in a string of vandalism at the site in the past four months. Most of the vandalism has been limited to the burning of the American flags that hang outside of the memorial on the plaques.

But the burning of the memorial, which was drawn by Marie Mitchell,

was an escalation that prompted the firefighters to go public and ask for help in finding out who was involved in acts.

“Our concern is that we’ve started to progress from pieces of paper and flags to this,” Broin said.”We’re getting into some more substantial property and we don’t want to lose our whole memorial.”

Mitchell said her brother died in the South Tower while trying to rescue people who were trapped in elevators.

“He was trying to get tools to get people out of the elevator when it came down,” Mitchell said, adding that her brother’s remains were never found. She said that memorials like the one at Station 5 are places where she and others like her can go to reflect because there is no gravesite for them to visit.

Mitchell noted that the vandalism isn’t just offensive to the community itself but to the entire 9/11 community. Mitchell said she will create another drawing for the memorial.

“I am not going to let the (vandals win),” said Mitchell, who spoke at the 2019 9/11 event at Station 5 when she presented the memorial.

In addition to the damaged memorial, a flag was burned as well, while across the street two trees and a paver were broken at a California Water Service substation, according to an employee who was there to inspect the damage.

The Chico Police Department is asking anyone with information regarding the vandalism to call (530) 897-4911.

PHOTOS BY RICK SILVA — PARADISE POST This is what is left of a memorial made by Marie Mitchell made in memory of her brother, New York firefighter Paul Mitchell who was killed in the September 11, 2001attacks on the Twin Towers.

This is what the memorial made by Marie Mitchell made in memory of her brother, New York firefighter Paul Mitchell who was killed in September 11, 2001attacks on the Twin Towers looked like when it was made.

RICK SILVA — PARADISE POST American flags sit in plaques like this. Capt. Corey Broin said this was the only one that didn’t have a flag in it Sunday morning.